Tag Archives: Arizona Senate

If you’re looking for proof of how much more conservative the Senate emerged after last year’s election, look no further than the selection of Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican from Mesa, as the chamber’s leader.

Pearce is often perceived as unmovable, uncompromising, even single-minded — traits that may be good or bad, depending on which side of the aisle you’re sitting. Many wondered what his presidency would look like and some speculated whether he would rule with a hammer.

Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is releasing documents that he says show a "clear pattern of compliance" with state laws restricting acceptance of gifts and of making reimbursements to the Fiesta Bowl for game tickets.

It was widely understood that Biggs would step down as Appropriations chairman when he became Majority Leader. But since the session ended, Biggs and Pearce haven't had the chance to talk about his replacement.

Late last year, the city of Mesa won a hard-fought court case over its use of impact fees to pay for cultural facilities, a use that homebuilders and others howled was an egregious abuse of the law allowing municipalities to impose a fee on new development so that growth pays for itself.